


Tinnitus

by Cael1004



Series: Dystopia [1]
Category: B.A.P
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Wake Me Up AU, dystopia au, dystopian au, it's not that polished, kind of inspired by We Happy Few, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-09 15:30:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10415256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cael1004/pseuds/Cael1004
Summary: "…We are here to wake you up. To let you see that this world you call utopia is nothing more than the shattered remains of a broken society. We are B.A.P, yessir."





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bestabsoluteshitposts on tumblr](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=bestabsoluteshitposts+on+tumblr).



> Warning: Not Beta-ed  
> If you see any mistakes, please leave a comment so I can fix it.  
> Crossposted on tumblr

"Attention," six voices rang out in unison — one for each district. "You, the people of this community, have been lied to and used by this corrupt society. Your hard work and efforts only fuel the neverending circle of corruption. Corruption that hides behind the pure, white masks of the officials. They've taken your freedom and fed you lies in order to keep you from seeing what is real. We are here to wake you up. To let you see that this world you call utopia is nothing more than the shattered remains of a broken society. We are B.A.P, yessir." And, with those last few words, the speakers resumed blaring happy music.

Most citizens resumed with whatever they were doing, happy smiles plastered on their faces and glazed eyes looking but not seeing. However, the few that were awakened by the mysterious group's words; their eyes shifted from side to side, as if only now perceiving the fragmented world instead of their delusions.

  
Half an hour after the announcement, six figures emerged from different radio booths, each one with grim looks on their faces. Yongguk looked around at his comrades and motioned for them to follow him into their conference room.

They all took their seats around the circular table and took a moment to settle down before Yongguk started the meeting. "How many?" he simply said.

Himchan, his second in-command and the person in charge of their organization's internal affairs, spoke first. "Six, maybe seven. But three reverted to their original state." Daehyun, the head of external affairs, nodded. "Pretty much the same for me."

Youngjae, who was in charge of drafting and executing plans, agreed. "The number of people we've been able to reach have significantly lessened over the past few months. We've increased the number of times we broadcast the most we can without getting caught but…" he sighed.

Catching the eye of their two youngest members, Yongguk could tell they hadn't had much luck either. So, he moved on, trying not to worry too much about the lack of recruits. "All right, reports."

Himchan spoke first, again. "There were some problems with a few people Daehyun's and Youngjae's teams but I took care of it." He turned to look at the two. "Why do your men fight with each other so much?" he asked and the two just shrugged.

"Difference in personality," Daehyun stated before moving on to his report. "Our relations with BTOB and VIXX have been good. But, negotiations with EXO failed. They said they wouldn't attack us, but it might be a stretch to still consider them our allies. I have yet to receive a reply from other organizations as some of them seem to busy. MYNAME, in particular, was just attacked. I think they'll agree to the alliance, though. They have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. That's all."

All of them turned to Youngjae to hear his report, but the black-haired man seemed dazed. Himchan nudged him slightly and brought him out of his thoughts. "Oh, right, my team's been hard at work drafting up plans to secure the base even further. We've also been monitoring the media and, so far, there hasn't been any mention of us. Which is good, of course." They waited for Youngjae to continue, but it seemed that he was finished.

Jongup and Junhong, co-leaders of the joint team focusing on weapons and combat, were both quiet. It took a while before Jongup finally spoke up. "Training is going well. The new recruits have a lot of potential."

Junhong followed up with a nod. "One of Youngjae's men sent a draft of a new weapon and it should be finished soon. I think it'll be really helpful." The pink haired male caught Youngjae's eye. He paused a bit before saying. "That's it."

Yongguk found it suspicious, but trusted his men to tell him anything that he needed to know. He asked if there were any other concerns and the others all shook their heads. "Meeting adjourned," he said. Yongguk got up from his chair and made his way to his office.

He hadn't noticed Youngjae following him until he'd accidentally closed the door in the other's face. "Hey!" Youngjae said, striding into the room and plopping down on the couch. He patted the space next to him, motioning for Yongguk to come sit.

As Yongguk sat down, the mood in the room darkened. The bright smile on Youngjae's face replaced by weariness.

"Are we really doing the right thing?" Youngjae whispered, leaning his head on the leader's shoulder. "Sometimes, I think that maybe we'd have been better of if we stayed in that dream world forever."

Yongguk clenched his fist, using his other hand to rub circles on the younger man's back. "That wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare. One borne from this world's incapacity to accept the truth."

Humming, the younger buried his neck onto Yongguk's chest. "I understand, and I'm glad you saved me from it."

Youngjae was one of the first people Yongguk was able to jolt awake. It took some time, but careful research told him that Youngjae would be an invaluable part of the team. And he was. Youngjae was the one who found the others, and sometimes Yongguk even let him convince them in his stead. His trust for the younger was so absolute that Youngjae was privy to the thoughts he hadn't dared tell anyone else.

And yet, his easygoing relationship with Youngjae was just for show. In truth, they butted heads more than he'd anticipated. Somehow, though, those matters were always fully resolved and they'd go back to their normal relationship. It was refreshing — so unlike that of his past colleagues that Yongguk realized how shallow his relationships with others had been. Now, it wasn't just Youngjae that he had a deep bond with, but also Himchan, Daehyun, Jongup, and Junhong. Still, Youngjae was the one he'd turn to in times of distress.

Deep in his thoughts, Yongguk only realized that Youngjae had fallen asleep when he'd asked a question and gotten no reply. It was then that he noticed the dark circles under the younger's eyes. It was rough on all of them trying to achieve their goals, but Youngjae's happier and more excitable personality was hit harder than most during rough patches. Yongguk was sure that Youngjae had spent the time he should've sleeping to fiddle with the radios, trying to reach out to others who wanted to join their endeavour. Yongguk admired him for it, but he didn't want to see one of his closest and dearest friends dead tired.

Before he knew it, he'd also fallen asleep.

  
It was a fitful sleep riddled with nightmares. White, masked figures laughing; invisible hands grappling at him. Then, the others came into view. First Himchan, then Daehyun, Youngjae, Jongup, and Junhong in succession. And Yongguk was forced to watch as their happy, smiling faces turned into panicked ones before their eyes completely glazed over. Only pupils as dark as the void stared back at him. The emotionless faces of his dearest friends contrasting with the harsh laughter of the figures surrounding them.

Slowly, they came closer to him. Wordlessly, they clutched at his clothes. Then, without so much as a warning, they disappeared into thin air. And Yongguk was alone.

  
Yongguk was jolted awake by Youngjae's voice and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the younger's concerned face. "What's wrong?" he asked, even though he already knew.

The nightmares had been coming more frequently — a product of the extended period without the pills and propaganda that had kept him docile for years. All of them, really.

The first few years, Yongguk had asked Youngjae to study the white capsules in order to try to find out how the government had used them to control the masses. However, nothing came from it. And Youngjae, being a former researcher for the government, had been devastated. Youngjae had always worked himself too hard — a characteristic he and most of his core team had shared.

Still, they hadn't given up. They'd simply changed tactics and started recruiting individuals they'd managed to reach out to using announcements. The government had tried to find them through their voices, but since they'd altered it to sound robotic, they hadn't been able to. Yongguk thanked Junhong for that. He'd been skeptical of the kid at first, but over time had grown fond of him.

Suddenly, he felt a surge of pride for his six comrades. He hadn't realized he was smiling until he heard Youngjae laugh. "If you're that happy to see me, then maybe I should wake you up everyday."

Seeing Youngjae back to his cheerful self lifted his spirits and his nightmare faded away. All he wanted to do at that moment was be with Youngjae, but he knew that the others were probably looking for them. "Let's get back to work," he simply said, getting up from the comfortable couch and patting the younger's head. The two of them were just about to leave when there was a knock on the door.

Himchan entered, looking surprised at the two of them before composing himself. He and Youngjae nodded to each other before Youngjae got up and left. "My team safely found and guided about ten individuals. They're with Jongup now and he's assessing their abilities. I observed them for a bit, and one of them seems promising. Jongup asked me to come get you. It seems he has something to say."

  
As soon as Jongup saw him enter the room, his posture relaxed and he called for a break. The muscular man jogged over to Yongguk and led him into a secluded corner of the training room. "Yongguk, Junhong's acting weirdly these days. Someone told me that he's been sneaking out of his room at night. Normally, I wouldn't believe them, but he's been really distracted lately. Yesterday, he almost forgot to put on his welding mask. I stopped him before he could, y'know, but I'm worried. Himchan's worried too."

"Have either of you talked to Junhong?" Yongguk asked. Usually these kinds of matters were handled by Himchan, being more gregarious than he.

"Yeah, we both have but he wouldn't say anything. Maybe he'll speak to you. He looks up to you, y'know. We all do."

Yongguk was surprised by the blond's words. He didn't think of himself as someone others would look up to. Instead, he often found himself in awe of his friends. They were all so talented and sometimes he felt as if he wasn't fit to be their leader. Those thoughts made him the subject of many a sleepless night.

Again, Youngjae popped into his mind. He'd voiced out those thoughts to the other male and was met with hands cupping his face. "Maybe you think you don't have any special talents like us, but _I_ think that gathering all of us 'talented' people and having us work together so well is pretty special too."

With that happy thought in mind, he set out for the workshop in search of Junhong.

  
He found Junhong fiddling with what looked like a circuitboard. It looked normal enough, so Yongguk found it strange that the pink-haired man tried to hide the contraption as he approached.

"Junhong, what are you working on?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was just messing around with some parts. Anyway, I received this plan just a few minutes ago." The lanky male reached for one of the plastic cylindrical containers. Just then, his fingers slipped and the whole shelf came down. Junhong only stood in shock as all the containers cascaded onto the floor. "I was supposed to fix that last week. Can't believe I forgot," he muttered.

The two of them bent down to pick up the fallen objects. "Are you all right?"

Wordlessly, Junhong nodded. "I haven't been getting much sleep lately. Too busy working."

Yongguk took this as a cue to bring up Jongup's concerns. "I heard. The others are worried about you. It's good to be hardworking, but don't push yourself too much."

Junhong nodded again. The pink-haired male opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Instead, he opted to stand up and place the containers he'd picked up beside his worktable while Yongguk did the same. Then, reaching out to grab one of the plastic objects, he spoke. "So you know how we haven't been able to recruit that many people lately? 'This device should theoretically enable us to send videos directly to a person's brain using the embedded microchips. If successful, it could also disable all other unnecessary features of the microchip.' Or, at least, that's what Youngjae said it would do."

Yongguk was surprised. He hadn't realized Youngjae was working on something like that. "Youngjae did, huh? So, what did he mean by 'unnecessary features'?"

Shrugging, Junhong replied, "I'm assuming anything that doesn't benefit us? The problem is, I have no idea how to execute it. His plans are very detailed, but constructing it might take years. At least, with our current resources."

Looking at the plans more thoroughly, Yongguk realized just how complicated it all was. Yet, if Junhong were able to do it then…

The two of them locked eyes. They both knew how important these plans were. Still, if Junhong was already overworking himself, the plans just added more to his workload. Yongguk sighed before patting the lanky male on the shoulder. "Just, take care of yourself."

And, as he was leaving, he heard Junhong mumble, "You too."

  
It was strange. After meeting with Junhong, Yongguk had gone to find Youngjae, but the black-haired male was nowhere to be found. As a last ditch effort, he'd gone to the barracks of Youngjae's team, but found it empty. Sighing, Yongguk made his way to their kitchen. He'd gotten quite thirsty wandering around in search of Youngjae, and he was hoping Youngjae was there eating a late snack.

Unsurprisingly, he found Daehyun instead. The brunette was munching on a sausage snack and littering the table were various other discarded bags of chips. All were empty, of course. There were also some papers strewn over the table, miraculously free from any crumbs or stains. Daehyun looked up, nodding at Yongguk and patting the seat next to him. Yongguk sat.

"Have you seen Youngjae?" was the first thing that came out of the leader's mouth. Daehyun smirked before shaking his head and Yongguk felt his cheeks burning slightly. "Do you need anything…?" he coughed, awkwardly.

Daehyun finished the sausage snack, placing the wrapper in the pile of trash. "Yeah, I was wondering if you could approve sending some of my team members to EXO's territory. They've started a new faction — EXO CBX, I think? — and I want to see if we can try to negotiate with them. I know there usually needs to be a meeting with all of the others but…" Daehyun drifted off. It was clear he was troubled by EXO refusing their alliance proposals. "Maybe if we can get them on our side, they can convince their other leaders to agree."

Yongguk considered the plan. He'd thought of some possible pros and cons to it, but he knew that Daehyun had probably considered it much more than he had. "Do you think it'll go well?" At this, the brunette licked his lips.

"It could. But, if it doesn't, we'll be losing two good men." Yongguk knew there weren't much people in Daehyun's team; people tended to underestimate their duties, but it was actually the most dangerous team to be in. The fact that new recruits usually had stunted socialization skills from years of exposure to the drugs didn't help either.

Yongguk was deep in thought when Daehyun suddenly spoke up. "I think it's worth the risk. I've already talked to my men and found more than enough people who were willing to make the trip." The brunette muttered under is breath, "I would go if I could, but…"

Realizing that Daehyun was stress-eating, Yongguk patted his back in an attempt to comfort him. He didn't know if it worked, but Daehyun's small smile comforted him in return. "Okay, I'll approve. Send your men to Jongup to get some fighters to accompany them and to Junhong's for some gear." Using the pen on the table, Yongguk signed the forms he knew Daehyun needed. The other gave him a grateful smile.

The two of them started to clean in silence before they were interrupted by Himchan. The bright haired male smiled at the two of them before pouring himself a glass of water. Yongguk realized his throat was still dry because Daehyun had distracted him from his original purpose of getting something to drink. Looking at him, Himchan poured another glass of water and offered it to Yongguk.

"Have you see Youngjae?" Daehyun suddenly quipped, munching on another sausage snack.

Himchan raised an eyebrow before replying, "We were just talking. I'd asked him to tell me what's been going on with him and why he's been so out of it lately. He wouldn't tell me, so I asked him why his team keeps fighting with Daehyun's. Apparently, a woman from Youngjae's team was lovers with a woman from Daehyun's. Her name was Juri, does that ring a bell?"

"Juri? Chunghee's girlfriend. So that's why…" Daehyun had stopped eating by that point. "Chunghee was killed in action while were were crossing over from EXO's border to our border. People have been saying that his partner just left him to die because he was too scared to risk going back for him. Ah, shit."

Himchan's eyes widened. "So that's why. This'll be really hard to resolve if she's that mad. I need to go talk to his partner, what's his name?"

Before Daehyun could reply, Yongguk spoke up. "Himchan, can you do it on your own? You always tell me that you don't need members in your team and that you're enough, but this isn't something you can handle alone."

"I don't need more people, Yongguk. Besides, we don't have people to spare. I like solving the issues and seeing people make up; I don't see it as a burden." Himchan smiled at him while Daehyun snorted in the background. Annoyed, Himchan was about to tell him off, but Yongguk stopped him before he could.

"Sorry, we'll talk about this later. I have to go catch Youngjae." But before Yongguk could leave, Himchan grabbed his arm and pulled him into a tight hug. Not knowing what to do, Yongguk just stood there for a while before reciprocating.

Letting go, Himchan gave him a smile. "I know when someone needs a hug, Yongguk. Don't worry too much." And, with that, Himchan pushed him out of the door he just came out of.

  
Yongguk felt like he'd turned their whole base over and he still hadn't found Youngjae. Sighing, he returned to his room — each of the team leaders had solo room while the members had to sleep four to a room — and found the person he had been looking for casually sitting on his bed.

All at once, Yongguk was struck by the sheer ridiculousness of the situation and he couldn't help but let out a big guffaw. Hearing this, Youngjae shot up with a jolt in a fighting stance, which just made him laugh even harder.

When he composed himself, Youngjae was huffing at him. "What took you so long to get back? I've been waiting here for hours. I even fell asleep and you still weren't back yet."

Unable to divulge that he had been looking for the younger, Yongguk just pulled Youngjae towards his bed. "Then let's go sleep. Unless there's something else you need?"

Youngjae blushed furiously and it took a moment for Yongguk realize what the other thought he meant. "I meant any problems. Not… whatever you're thinking about," Yongguk smirked, plopping down on the bed. He was met with a pillow to the face as Youngjae settled in with him.

"Ah, really. I can't believe you don't show this side of you to the others. I mean, I'm the one who's supposed to be doing the teasing here!"

Yongguk just smiled, "If the others were here, they'd be shocked. Yoo Youngjae getting flustered by a few words."

"Yeah, well if the others were here, I'd think they'd be more shocked by us sharing the same bed," Youngjae retorted, smirking. Now it was Yongguk's turn to blush, which did not go unnoticed by the other. "Point one for Youngjae."

Yongguk shook his head fondly; Youngjae was easily the most competitive of the team, and his attitude wasn't any different with Yongguk. The other members thought Youngjae immature for it, but Yongguk found it endearing — if not amusing at times.

Looking at Youngjae hugging the pillow to his chest, his gummy smile reappeared. How could a 24 year old man be so cute?

Apparently, he'd said this out loud as Youngjae suddenly smiled shyly, his apple-like cheeks darkening. He lied down quickly, murmuring "Okay, let's go to sleep!" before peeking up at Yongguk from under the blanket. His oversized sweater covering his hands and making him look absolutely adorable.

Baffled, Yongguk just laid down beside him, praying that Youngjae couldn't hear his deafeningly loud heartbeat.

  
A month later, Youngjae had slept over in Yongguk's room more days than he hadn't. It didn't bother the leader at all. In fact, he enjoyed the other's company, even when they would talk all night about meaningless topics and be sleep-deprived the following day. Naturally, their bond also grew deeper and the others would give Yongguk questioning glances whenever Youngjae touched him. Yongguk had to admit, it was pretty suspicious that he'd start smiling whenever he saw Youngjae and started exhibiting more skinship towards the other.

That's why none of them realized the changes in Youngjae's physique and his fatigue until, one day, Yongguk noticed the normally chipper Youngjae had become more sullen. His cheeks were also gaunt and his skin had taken on an unhealthy hue. Many times, Yongguk and the others would ask him about it, but they always received the same nonchalant reply. "I'm fine."

It wasn't until the day of their next broadcast came that Yongguk realized something was wrong. Youngjae's eyes were shifty, and he kept sighing. Yongguk had tried asking him what was wrong — they all had — to no avail. Dismissing it as something the two of them would discuss later that night, Yongguk called for all six of them to go into their respective booths. It would take about an hour to finish setting up — looking for the right frequencies was challenging at best — and Yongguk wanted them to be focused on their job.

After the hour had passed, they each confirmed that their equipment was set to a specific frequency of speakers in different districts. Once that was done, they repeated the same message as all the previous times.

But something wasn't right; when they ended, they were supposed to disconnect so that it would be harder for them to be tracked. Youngjae, however, hadn't. Yongguk was just about to go ask what was wrong before a shrill noise resounded throughout his booth.

First, there was static, but then he heard someone shout, "Wake up!" Yongguk recognized it to be Youngjae because, at that moment, the robotic voice they'd normally used shifted into Youngjae's real voice. The desperate plea carried with it so many emotions and the crowd's heads snapped up, as if waking from a deep sleep.

Yongguk sprang from his chair and nearly ran to Youngjae's booth, yanking the younger's headphones off and pulling him to his feet. As he was doing so, Himchan, Daehyun, Jongup, and Junhong piled into  
the room, looking just as alarmed as Yongguk did.

"Youngjae, what happened? Did you…" Daehyun's voice drifted off. He swallowed thickly. He faced Yongguk, the beginnings of tears in his eyes, "There must be a way. He can't--"

It was only then Yongguk realized his hands were shaking. "Youngjae," he started, but was quickly interrupted by the other.

"Look," Youngjae said, gesturing to the monitors. They showed people of all ages wandering the streets, looking at the posters posted on the walls in a dazed fashion. None of them realized what was happening until one of the people on the street — a young child of about nine years — tore the poster down. All at once, the people on the street started hugging each other, shouting, and various other things that had been barred from them. And it wasn't just happening on one monitor. All the monitors showed people rioting.

Everyone in the cramped room was in awe, but Himchan spoke up. "We need to go and make sure nothing was compromised," he said, biting his tongue. Of course, nothing was compromised except for Youngjae, but he could see that Yongguk and Youngjae needed some time alone. Nodding their heads, the other three followed Himchan out of the room.

Yongguk turned towards Youngjae, his grip on the younger's shoulders tightening. "Do you know what this means?"

Youngjae smiled, "They respond to emotion. They were moved by the emotion in my voice. This is how we need to wake them up. Using a human voice; using our feelings."

"I'm not talking about that. Do you know what this means for you, Youngjae?" Youngjae's elated smile turned into a sad one. "They have your voice. They know who your are. They'll be able to find you. Was it really worth sacrificing yourself to do this?" Yongguk's voice increased in volume, but it was somehow still barely a whisper.

"Yeah, I think it was." And, with that, Yongguk pulled the other into a fierce hug. Youngjae stood still for a moment before collapsing into him, sobbing. "I'm scared. So scared of what will happen next. But it was worth it. For our cause. You'll find someone else to plan everything from now on."

"But they won't be you. Youngjae, everyone here cares so much about you. They all love you. I," he paused, "love you."

Hearing this, Youngjae only sobbed louder. "I'm not going to let those bastards take you. We'll find a way." Yongguk rubbed circles on the younger's back, like he always did when he wanted him to calm down. It seemed to have worked, because Youngjae's breathing eventually returned to normal.

"Hey, I'm the one who makes the plans, remember? Anyway, you didn't think I did this without a plan, did you?" Youngjae's wet eyes were sparkling. "I'm going deep underground. I'll disappear from this place. There's a small chance I'll succeed, and it may take years before I'll be able to come back here. But it's something."

Youngjae laughed — the sound so clear and melodious that Yongguk wanted to listen to it forever. "Will you wait for me, Yongguk?" And, to that, all Yongguk could do was nod. He'd wait forever if that's what it took to keep Youngjae safe.

  
A few hours later, Youngjae had already gone, taking with him only a few items of clothing and Yongguk's heart.

**Author's Note:**

> It's not exactly how I pictured it to be, but I'm pretty satisfied with the end result??
> 
> I'm actually considering adding another chapter with Youngjae's POV and/or whate happens to him after he leaves, but… I guess it depends on reception+motivation.


End file.
